Jan 20, 2023 | District, Battle Creek Central High School
The team from the Grand Valley State University Battle Creek Regional Outreach Center recently paid a visit to Battle Creek Central High School to celebrate 60 seniors who had already applied and been accepted to GVSU for next year.
One of those seniors, Asianique McDonald, who also happens to be this year's homecoming queen, is planning to continue pursuing her dream of landing a career in nursing next year and absolutely epitomizes the Bearcat-Laker advantage. Asianique recently shared that thanks to GVSU’s dual enrollment opportunities on-site at BCC, she entered her senior year already equipped with three college credits. She plans to pick up another three to six credits this year and yet another three to six over the summer.
That means that by the time she enters her freshman year of college, all of Asianique’s hard work during her time in high school will have potentially set her up with an astounding 12 college credits. Entering college with 12 credits puts Ms. McDonald an entire semester ahead of many college freshmen.
McDonald has had her eyes set on a career in nursing for quite a while because “some of my life experiences so far have taught me that I am passionate about wanting to help people,” she said. But the opportunities provided to her through Battle Creek Central High School Career Academies and the partnership at Grand Valley helped her solidify a pathway to achieve her career goals.
Battle Creek Central High School Executive Principal Tyler Gilland shared, “What makes the dual enrollment opportunities at Battle Creek Central truly unique is that our scholars get to take those courses right here inside our building.
“These aren’t your typical dual-enrollment courses either,” he said. “Students like Asianique are taking classes like Introduction to Health Care and Introduction to Medical Terminology during their junior and senior years in high school; these are courses that are relevant to their chosen career paths and applicable to the college majors they’ll be entering into.”
Gilland added, “Asianique represents the epitome of what we call the Bearcat Advantage. She’s an incredible student, role model, and human being, and it has been a true joy to see her continue to work and grow every year during her time in Battle Creek Central.”
As an added bonus, getting to participate in early college and career readiness courses and experiences and feeling the support of partners like GVSU is giving Battle Creek Central grads the confidence and clarity they need to enter college or a career ready for success.
“It’s been really helpful to have Grand Valley here the entire time I’ve been in high school,” McDonald said. “It’s like they’ve been by my side the whole time, and in the same sense that some people have a home away from home, Grand Valley already feels like a home away from Central for me.”
Not only has she already earned three credits from GVSU with six more underway, but she’s also received personalized advising, participated in college visits since her freshman year, and feels like she’s already got relationships built with some of the staff.
After graduation this year, she plans to utilize her Legacy Scholars scholarship to earn up to six credit hours during the summer, truly showcasing how much partnerships matter in our community to set our students up for future success.
More Than Just a Career Path
Asianique is also fully aware that her amazing success story is about much more than her own career path.
“I have two younger siblings at Fremont International Academy,” she said. “And since I’m going to be a first-generation college student in my family, I’m excited to set an example for them of another path they can take if this is what they want to do.”
Interested in learning more about BCCHS Career Academies? Visit battlecreekpublicschools.org/careeracademies.